


trying to embrace the pictures i paint

by selvish



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, art professor!Ashton, this is just tooth rotting bullshit it's 3AM bye, writing professor!Calum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 11:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5373326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selvish/pseuds/selvish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"A soft knock at his door caused Ashton to jump, and he cringed as a cup full of water and paint brushes clattered to the tiled floor. Without even looking towards the door he ran over to the sink and yanked a handful of paper towels from the dispenser. As he wiped the mess up from his knees he called into the air,</p>
<p>“All finished pieces are drying on the racks to your left. If you have a question just give me a minute.”</p>
<p>“I’ll wait, then.”</p>
<p>Ashton froze.</p>
<p>With his jeans now stained with dirty water at the knees he stood up slowly, the soggy towel in his white-knuckled fist. In front of him was none other than Calum, the boy plaguing his dreams and spilling from his fingertips for weeks. His hands shook."</p>
            </blockquote>





	trying to embrace the pictures i paint

**Author's Note:**

> this is for lucy who made [this](http://japanmikey.tumblr.com/post/134598618176/) art teacher!Ashton mood board and wanted a fic for it (and nicki who is a dirty enabler)
> 
> title is from HEAVEN by Troye Sivan, come talk to me on [my tumblr](http://calumsboyfriend.tumblr.com) if it fucked you up!!!!
> 
> ALSO i didn't really know how to end this so it just kind of..... ends. sorry. i need to go to bed

The paintbrush clattered to the floor as Ashton let out a defeated grunt. He levelled the painting in front of him, ignoring the curious stares of his students around him. A soft gasp came from one corner of the room, but he brushed it off. His students had become almost freakishly obsessed with his latest series of works. They all held the same general palette: brown.

  


There were spilled coffee cups, melted chocolate, and a sleeping dog surrounded by warm mahogany wood planks. Everything he touched turned brown.

  


His current work was similar to the others, but this time it was the profile of a boy. He had tan skin and soft (brown) eyes that melted his heart from within the paper. The boy held a (brown) leather book to his chest, and a (brown) pencil was tucked behind his ear.

  


It wasn’t finished enough for people to recognize the shape of the nose and light in his eyes, but it was getting too close to comfort. Ignoring the hushed whispers Ashton dipped his fingers in a dark, cold blue and ran them down the center of the painting. He sighed.

  


“Class dismissed.”

  


Ashton closed his eyes as he listened to each student put away their work and walk out of the room. After a few minutes had passed he walked to the door and opened it to let a breeze in from the drafty hallway. He smiled at the work hanging in the halls that his students had finished in the past few weeks. Each piece was so unique and special he couldn’t help but smile to himself with pride.

  


Back in the room, he took the unfinished and ruined work off of his easel and placed it on top of the racks near the door where paintings were left to dry. He looked over it once more and felt his smile drop with a sigh. He had it bad.

  


The painting was of Calum Thomas Hood, a writing professor at the same university he taught at. He specialized in poetry and songwriting, which Ashton knew from the groups of students gossiping about his skills in his class. One day he had been crossing campus when he saw the professor talking to his own students with a guitar case hanging limply in his hand. He watched as the other man switched it from one arm to another, feeling his breath catch at how the muscles of his arm moved underneath his (brown) skin.

  


Calum had smiled to his students and sang a couple lines of some song Ashton had never heard before, and ever since he had been stuck in his brain. It had been weeks, and for some reason he just couldn’t shake the (brown) boy.

  


A soft knock at his door caused Ashton to jump, and he cringed as a cup full of water and paint brushes clattered to the tiled floor. Without even looking towards the door he ran over to the sink and yanked a handful of paper towels from the dispenser. As he wiped the mess up from his knees he called into the air,

  


“All finished pieces are drying on the racks to your left. If you have a question just give me a minute.”

  


“I’ll wait, then.”

  


Ashton froze.

  


With his jeans now stained with dirty water at the knees he stood up slowly, the soggy towel in his white-knuckled fist. In front of him was none other than Calum, the boy plaguing his dreams and spilling from his fingertips for weeks. His hands shook.

  


“S-sorry, professor. I didn’t realize it was you… I figured you were a student.” He mumbled out, cursing himself for sounding so small. Calum merely shook his head and smiled. He seemed to glow all of his emotions, and the warmth he radiated turned Ashton’s cheeks pink.

  


“No need for the formalities as you’re a professor yourself, Ashton. Call me Calum.” He said confidently, stepping further into the room and keeping a cheeky smile on his face.

  


Ashton finally smiled back and used his dry hand to scratch the back of his neck nervously. Calum knew his name.

  


“You know my name?” Ashton asked.

  


Calum nodded. “Of course I do! We share a few students, and they talk about you a lot-”

  


“They talk about you too.” The blonde blurted awkwardly. Calum didn’t even flinch, just smiled wider.

  


“I’m glad they appreciate what I do, though it’s nothing compared to what _you_ do.” Calum replied much to Ashton’s dismay. His whole face was probably red by now. “In fact that’s actually why I’m here.”

  


Ashton cocked his head to the side as Calum dropped their eye contact, instead browsing the room. Eventually his gaze landed on the painting next to him. It was his work from earlier.

  


“They were right.” Calum whispered, awe overtaking his features as he turned away to face the painting. He gently picked it up and held it in front of his face. Side by side, it was useless for Ashton to try to hide the fact that the boy and the painting were one in the same.

  


He grit his teeth and closed one eye in a wince as he watched Calum look at his art. Ashton had been torn apart and spat on by the finest critics in the modern art world, but for some reason this was the most nervous he had felt while someone looked at something he created.

  


Finally, after exactly 26 seconds of silence and nervous breathing, Calum looked up from his painted-over face and smiled blindingly.

  


“You painted me.” He whispered, with his eyes full of wonder.

  


Ashton nodded.

  


Calum took a few more steps into the room after placing the painting back onto the rack.

  


“Is that the only one?” He asked quietly, as if he would scare Ashton off.

  


Ashton just nodded, and tossed the paper towel into the bin under his desk. He walked over to the wall under the whiteboard, and pointed to the other paintings.

  


Calum stepped closer, this time a look of confusion on his face. He looked from Ashton to the paintings a few times before turning his head slightly.

  


Ashton cleared his throat before saying, “You’re in all of these. It’s the colours. You’re coffee stains, warm chocolate, and mahogany wood. Brown.”

  


“Brown.” Calum repeated, another smile growing on his face. He looked at Ashton again and the intensity of it stirred the butterflies in his guy. Calum finally stood in front of the other professor and slowly took his face in his hands. He was so gentle.

  


He eyed Ashton curiously for a moment before lifting his chin and kissing him softly. Ashton exhaled against the other’s mouth as his eyes drifted shut as he leaned into the kiss. He brought his hand up to caress Calum’s neck, and laughed as he pulled away and saw paint stain the other’s shirt.

  
“Whoops.” He giggled, laying his head on Calum’s other shoulder and smiling to himself.


End file.
